“It was very vibrant here in summer. A children’s camp nearby, music and discos. And now there is only loneliness here”

I was born here and my parents lived here. It all used to be different. We had the beach and we had the sea. All children’s camps and recreation facilities worked here. It was very vibrant here in summer. A children’s camp nearby – music and discos in the evenings. It was a crowded place then. And now there is only loneliness here.

The war had its effect. Young people left and there are no youth in the village. Just people like me, retirees, have stayed, and those who had nowhere to go. Our grandchildren and children come for the summer, and in winter there are only old people here. You go out into the street and you cannot see anyone, absolutely no movement.

The sea was mined. And you know those mines started to explode in spring! The sea was moving and either sand, or something... Oh, there was such a cannonade! Then shelling and volleys began. It was just scary.

I left the place because shelling was very close here. We thought that the family was big and the kids were small, and so we decided to leave. We left for Kryvyi Rih in 2014. We stayed there for a year and then came back here.

It was somewhat difficult for the kids, of course. New school, new classmates, new teachers... difficult. The boys went to the first grade there, but when we returned, they went to the first grade again. Their mom decided that the kids needed to affirm, strengthen their knowledge, and they went to the first grade again.

A human being is such a creature that gets used to anything. It was scary at first. I was afraid to stay alone, especially at night, and to live alone. Some rattle somewhere – it was scary. Now it seems a little different. I hear explosions and shelling, but I have learned to distinguish: this is kind of far away, and that is closer.

It is difficult after the rise in the utility tariffs. My pension is 1,500 hryvnias (UAH). It is difficult to pay the utility bills and buy food. Prices go up all the time. We limit ourselves and spend our money sparingly. What shall we do? Meat is a luxury. Mostly chicken meat, which is cheaper. We do not speak about other meat. I do not have a vegetable garden. When the sea was overflowing in our area, the sea water came in and the soil got salty, so nothing grows there. Only the reed can grow. That is why we buy everything.

We receive a humanitarian aid, and this is a great support and help. Cereals and pasta, flour and butter, thank God, everything is there.